Police assure Muslims of safety in New Zealand

The New Zealand Police have assured a nervous Muslim community in New Zealand that they will continue their efforts to ensure their safety.

There have been shocking reaction from various members of the Muslim community in the country, following the terrorist shootings in two Mosques in Christchurch this afternoon, which has thus far left 40 people dead.

Four persons, one of them a woman, have been taken into custody.

Police Commissioner’s briefing

Police Commissioner Mike Bush told a media briefing that a number of (Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) attached to vehicles that were stopped.

“They have been made safe by Defence Force but that does go to the seriousness of the situation,” he said.

“There has been some absolute acts of bravery … but let’s not presume that the danger is gone. We are not aware of other people but we can not assume there are not others at large. We are not assuming that this is contained to Christchurch, we have no information to suggest that it is … at this point in time we can’t make assumptions. This is requiring every police and emergency resource that we have available,” Mr Bush said.

Muslim Leader’s reaction

Police have visited all the Mosques and spoken to Muslim community leaders in Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city with the largest Muslim population of New Zealand.

They advised Muslims not to attend Mosques to ensure their safety.

Ibrar Sheikh, Secretary of the Wellington based Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand (FIANZ) and South Auckland Muslim Association said that he and his colleagues have been in constant contact with several police officials including Counties Manukau Police Sergeant Gurpreet Arora, who have assured that they have been doing their best to manage the crisis.

“When one is attacked, we are all attacked, and our whole society is affected,” he said.